Gangs of New York

Martin Scorsese has made several films that deserved to earn him an Academy Award over the years, among those: Goodfellas, Raging Bull, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Each of these films is amazing in its own way, and each of them fell short come awards season. Gangs of New York can be added to that list, too, but when it came time for the Academy to vote, it just couldn’t attract enough of them to defeat two very big juggernauts that guaranteed it wouldn’t win. Those two films were The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Chicago. Perhaps if Gangs of New York had been released the previous year, as it was intended, it may have had a chance, but another event, one that meant a 2001 release would be inappropriate, prevented that from happening. 

Gangs of New York was originally planned for an end-of-year 2001 release to compete in that year’s awards season. But then 9/11 happened, and suddenly a film depicting wanton destruction and wholesale violence on the streets of New York didn’t seem like a good fit anymore. Out of respect for those who were suffering from the real-world violence, the film was put on hold and debuted the following year. This was the right decision for box-office reasons as well as being in good taste, but it condemned Martin Scorsese to once again fall at the Oscars. He would have to wait four more years before he would finally be given his Oscar, a win that most people felt was a make-up for other, better films. 

For this film, Scorsese took inspiration from the 1970 book The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld by Herbert Asbury, as well as his own fascination with the history of New York City, especially the area he grew up in known as Little Italy. In that area of the city, he noticed the tombstones in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral dating back to the early 1800s as well as buildings and streets that were significantly older than the others, remnants of a people long gone and mostly forgotten. This interested him greatly, and when he found Asbury’s book, he found fuel for a story that would eventually become his film, Gangs of New York.

When it came to writing the film, little to none of the Asbury book was utilized besides the names of some of the characters. Because of that, the film, when it was submitted to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, was nominated for an Original Screenplay Oscar rather than an Adapted one. The script, credited to three writers, took inspiration from real-life events and people without bothering to adhere to the real-world history. This allowed for certain events to be shuffled around or take place whole decades from when they actually happened. This is not intended to be a depiction of history nor should it be seen as such. It is a work of fiction.

In the film, we are introduced to the slum of the Five Points in 1846. There, two rival gangs, the Anglo-Protestant Confederation of American Natives, led by William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), and the Immigrant Irish Catholic Dead Rabbits, led by “Priest” Vallon (Liam Neeson), engage in a battle to determine which faction will hold power over the territory. Bill kills Vallon and declares the Dead Rabbits outlawed. Vallon’s young son witnesses the death and, hiding the knife that did it, is taken to an orphanage on Blackwell’s Island. 

Sixteen years later, Vallon’s son, nicknamed Amsterdam, returns to the Five Points seeking revenge and retrieving the knife. All the local clans of gangs now pay tribute to Bill, who remains in control of the territory. Bill employs many of Amsterdam’s father’s former lieutenants, despite his deep anti-Irish views. Bill also shows respect for Vallon, despite them having been rivals, viewing the man as a noble foe and the only one he has ever killed who was worthy of his respect.

Amsterdam keeps his relationship to Vallon a secret and gets in the good graces of Bill, joining his gang and working his way up in the group. But as he does so, he becomes conflicted. He also begins to fall for Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), a pickpocket and grifter who has a dark history with Bill. This relationship ends up unraveling his plans when his old friend, Johnny Sirocco (Henry Thomas), who is also in love with Jenny, betrays him to Bill over the relationship. 

All of this is taking place during a time of mass immigration as the Irish are coming into the city by the boatload, the Civil War draft riots are breaking out, and the local leaders are realizing that with all this influx of immigrants, a shift in the balance of power comes with it. William “Boss” Tweed (Jim Broadbent), a major politician working with Bill the Butcher, sees the changing tides and takes advantage of it, leading to the landslide election of Walter “Monk” McGinn (Brendan Gleeson) to Sheriff, a hollow victory after Bill publicly assassinates him in the name of the minority vote. 

A major theme of this film is that of immigration and the fear of outsiders taking over. Never mind that the “Natives” are also immigrants, themselves, just from a previous generation. We hear catcalls of “Go back to Africa,” coming from the Irish, followed by someone else yelling “Go back to Ireland.” It’s a sentiment that has become all too popular again as those who fear outsiders in their midst threaten to deport those who came here for freedoms that are being threatened to be taken away from them anyway. Even as I write this, I see headlines echoing the sentiment that Muslim Americans should be kicked out of the country or those who practice Sharia Law should be forced to conform to more Christian ideals or be forced to leave. It’s nothing new and has been the source of violence for centuries. 

Scorsese is looking at this long history of intolerance and violence through the eyes of someone who grew up in the city in an area that has changed so much and has forgotten much of its history over the years. He ends his film with a shot of the graves of Bill the Butcher and Vallon, slowly overgrown and worn smooth while the city in the distance grows up around it. These stones represent men that those in the city would have no idea about who they were or what they represented; forgotten men from a bygone era. 

This is, of course, another powerhouse performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, who never seems to turn in an uninteresting performance. He may be the villain of the piece, but he outshadows everyone else in the film, including the star, Leonardo DiCaprio. He has a physicality to him that is slimy, yet mesmerizing, and we cannot help but be intrigued by this man, even as we are repulsed by him, too. There is just an energy to this performance that cannot be outmatched. Consequently, DiCaprio’s performance, good as it is, is a bit overlooked and less enthralling. 

This is an amazing film to look at, especially when you realize that none of it was filmed in the United States, let alone New York City. The Five Points was recreated in Italy, and no expense was spared in making it look period-authentic. This, however, is sometimes in conflict with filming and editing styles that are very much a part of the early 2000s style. And if you know anything about the history of New York City at the time, there will be major events that don’t sit right, such as the Union Army firing cannons into the streets in response to the Draft Riots. This moment adds some excitement to the final gang war of the film but also makes this fight feel of lesser importance in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps that is what Scorsese was going for.

This film is an epic as only Martin Scorsese can make. He has painted yet another portrait of New York City, this time of a bygone era that most people have long forgotten about. The slums of the Five Points are gone, replaced by government buildings and the Civic Center, but the bones of the old New York are still there and are best not forgotten. This is a visceral experience and one that cements just how great a filmmaker Scorsese can be when he has a passion for the subject and a budget to match. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Alberto Grimaldi and Harvey Weinstein

Best Director: Martin Scorsese

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Original Screenplay: Jay Cocls, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan

Best Production Design: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo

Best Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus

Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell

Best Film Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Original Song: “That Hands That Built America” by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen

Best Sound: Tom Fleischman, Eugene Gearty, and Ivan Sharrock

____________________________________________________

Release Date: December 20, 2002

Running Time: 168 Minutes

Rated R

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, and Brendan Gleeson

Directed by: Martin Scorsese